Beach of Santa Marina, Ribeseya, Sandy beach in Ribeseya, Spain

The Beach of Santa Marina is a coastal area with fine sand along the Cantabrian Sea, framed by green cliffs on both sides. The water and surrounding landscape create a natural setting typical of Spain's northern coast.

The beach originally lay apart from the town, and its growth followed Ribadesella's own development. In 1910 the Marquises of Argüelles opened a spa offering sea, iodine and seaweed baths, drawing aristocrats and the upper bourgeoisie from Asturias, elsewhere in Spain and Madrid. Villas such as the Marchioness's chalet, now the Gran Hotel, Antero Prieto's chalet and Villa San Pedro lined the shore; by the Civil War of 1936 there were about thirty such buildings, and terraced second homes followed in the 1980s and 1990s.

Each Easter, the sand hosts horse races that draw thousands of spectators. The event has been held since 1989, when local horse enthusiasts revived 18th-century legends of smugglers who rode black horses along the beach at night to evade port controls. Races run on the wet sand exposed at low tide, and in 2018 the Principality of Asturias declared it a Fiesta of Regional Tourist Interest.

Access to the sand is by stairs and ramps, and the beach lies within the town centre, so it can be reached on foot. Toilets, showers, bins, a tourist office and food and drink outlets are on site. Lifeguards and loudspeaker hazard warnings operate only in summer. At low tide the western rocky stretch can be walked as far as Tereñes.

The cliffs surrounding the beach display preserved marine fossils and ancient dinosaur footprints from millions of years ago. These geological features turn the area into an outdoor museum for visitors interested in ancient natural history.